The less there is to justify a traditional custom, the harder it is to get rid of it

The longing of my heart is a fairy portrait of myself: I want to be pretty; I want to eliminate facts and fill up the gap with charms .

The machine has several virtues... One may lean back in his chair and work it. It piles an awful stack of words on one page. It don't muss things or scatter ink blots around .

The man who doesn't read good books has no advantage over the man who can't read them.

The man who is a pessimist before 48 knows too much; if he is an optimist after it, he knows too little.

The man who isn't a pessimist is a damned fool.

The man with a new idea is a crank until the idea succeeds.

The master minds of all nations, in all ages, have sprung in affluent multitude from themass of the nation, and from the mass of the nation only—not from its privileged classes.

The miracle, or the power, that elevates the few is to be found in their industry, application, and perseverance under the prompting of a brave, determined spirit.

The Mississippi River will always have its own way; no engineering skill can persuade it to do otherwise.